Driving and steering axle.



o'. zAcHow. DRIVING IIIID'- STEERING AxLE. APPLICATION' FILD 00T. 2|. 1910.

.2A/IA4 Patented Sept. 14, 1915;

SHEETS-SHEET I.

Y O. ZACHO'W; A DRIVING AND STEERING AXL'E;

APPLlcAT'loN HLED ocT 2r 1910v 1I, 1 53,28 1 i Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

cation.

OTTO ZACI-IOW, OF CLINTONVILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AUTO COMPAN,Y 0F CLINTONVILLE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

DRIVING AND STEERING AXLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

,Patented sept. 11, 1915.

Application led October 1910. SerialNo. 588,275.

To all wwm it may concern:

Be .it known that I, OTTO ZAoHoW, a citizen ofthe United States,'residing at Clintonville,.countyvof ,Waupaca, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new vand useful Improvements in Driving and SteeringA Axles, of which the following is a specifi- My invention relates to improvements in `combined d'riving and steering axles.

The object of my invention is to vpro? vide a structure, which will have greater strength, stability'and durability than those heretofore employed, and which will be more adequately' lubricated, and the lubricant retained by a device which also in- `cludes means lfor preventing the vadmission of dust and grit 'to the bearings, including the axle bearings.

l In the following description, reference is had to the accompanying drawings,` in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view,4

drawn substantially to a plane which includes the axis ofl the driving shaft, said shaft, however, being illustrated in full. Fig. 2 is an end view with the vehicle wheel and stub axle removed, together with that portion of the pivot bearing member which is integrally connected therewith, the outer portion of the'drivingjaxle being shown inv cross section. I

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters in both views.

The structure illustrated in the drawings is of a type known as the stub axle type of construction, the vehicle wheel being pivotally supported frompthe frame, so thatthe wheel may swing for steering purposes in an arc abouta pivotal axis adjacent tothe inner side of the wheel.

In. the drawings,ja non-rotatable sleevel l is'connected. with the vehicle frame or runn in'g gear by suitable vbrackets or coupling members 2. The sleeve 1 is preferably mounted upon a tubular axle shaft 3, which is also supported from the vehicle frame and is non-rotatable.A Thef'sleev'e l is provided at its outer end with `a bearing member 5, having a spherically rounded outer surface. This member 5 is also provided at top arid bottom with vertically extending A tubular stub axle 9 is provided with a -posts 7 and 8, as illustrated at 22.

bearing member 11, which incloses the member 5, the inner surface of said bearing member 11 being spherically concave and adapted to lit the outer surface of the member 5. This member l1 is provided with .an outwardly extending marginal flange 12, whereby it may be connected 'with detachable sections 14, by suitablesecuring devices, such as bolts 15, said sections 14 being provided withflanges 16, togreeeive said bolts. The sections 14 of the bearing member 11, (when infposition), cover the inwardly converging portion of the member 5 to a point near the sleeve 1. These sections`14 of the `'member 11 are also provided ,with tubular pivot boxes 13, adapted to bel closed by screw.' threaded head pieces 17, secured in-part by lock nuts 18. Each of the pivot boxes 13 is of sufficient internal diameter to receive\ a tubular bushing19, and a ca 20,the latter being fitted to the trunnions (or '8). By removing the head pieces 17, the caps 20 and bushings 19 may be readily removedand replaced when worn.

A driving axle shaft 21 extends through the sleeve 1, member 5 and stub axle 9, this shaft being provided with a double knuckle or universal joint in the planeof the pivot The outer section of the shaft 21' has its extremity squared, as shown at 23, to receive a coupling member" 24, which interlocks with 'the hub 25 of the vehicle wheel, whereby motion may be transmitted from the driving axle tothe wheelrV A removable cap 27 in- ,closes the coupling 24, and'has threaded engagement at 29 with the hub, and with the portions of the coupling 24, which interlock therewith. The wheel hub is -mounted to rotate upon the stub axle 9 with interposed roller bearings 29 of any ordinary construction.

The hub 25. is provided ,with a portion'31, which extends over an annular shoulder 32 on the bearing member 11, .and rotatesin closeproximityfto said shoulder, thus'tending to exclude dust and grit from the bearings. The portion 31 is provided with-an interior shoulder 35, against which a collar 37 is seated. The inner margin of this col- 105 lar extendsv inwardly towardthejunction of v the stub'axle 9 with'` the bearingmenber 11,

whereby a considerable quantity if oil may be retained in the hub bearin4 .t-being necessary that said oil` accumulate to a depth greater than the width of thecollar 37 before the oil can flow outwardly between the part l3l' of thehub and the annularrprojection 32.

, Gil ducts 40 extendv vertically through the cap'sQO and trunnions 7 and .8 respectively; yThe upper head piece 17 isprovided with an opening/l1,` which registers with' the oil duct 40,'k which extendsl through .the trunnion 7. This allows a supply `of oil to be in` serted in the cavity occupied by the universal oint 22 and the steering joint formedv by the pivot posts 7 and 8 and the bearing members 5 and l1., `A suflicient supply of oil may bev inserted to fill the lower portion of this cavity up to the under side of the driving shaft. lThe drivin'g'shaft jointV will f therefore revolve in oil on the under side and the oil will also be permitted to distribute bet-'Ween the bearing members 5 and V11. Theap'rture il in the upper head piece 17, is preferably made larger than the oil duct 40,. whereby some of the oil will flow outwardly over theupper. .cap 20, insteadof passing Vdirectly through the duct 40 to the -lower portion'of the bearing. rljhe duct 4.0,V which extends through the pivot posts 8 and the lower cap 20, will of course permit the oil to distribute over the outer surface 'of saidv lower cap 20 and to effectually lubricate thisl bearing: l

It willbe understood that my invention may n also be applied to vehicles, in which the power is not applied to the steering wheels, and that in such cases, it is not necessary that the bearing member 5 should be hollow, or if hollow,

that'it should 'have 'openings in its inner and outer surfaces, but where the power is to be applied toY the steering wheel by means of a shaft extending through the pivot bearings, it 'is vof course necessary that theI member 5 I shbuld be hollowand thatr the driving shaft, should be jointed, substantially at'the piv.V

otal axis. The opening at theouter side of the bearing' member 5 must also have a suilil cient width in the horizontal dimension, to

allow the outer section of the driving shaftv to swingvwith thestub axle and the wheel, when the vehicle is turning. For this reason, thev opening 'at the outerside ofthe member 5 is made elliptical in form, whereby the member 11 extends over a sufficient area of the member 5 at the top' and bottom,

" to secure a firm bearingupon the member 5 independently of the detachable sections- 14. The steering connections for swinging-'the stub axle 9,'may be connectedv with an outwardly projectin earll. The sections 14 of the bearing'mem er 11 provide for its adjustment over the convex surface of the bearing member 5 and the pivot posts 7. These sections are :preferably half sections-,abutting in a horizontal plane, and the sections are secured together by bolts'fl, which extend through ears or-flanges 46 at the mar- `formed in three sections, comprising ups 1. A driving and steering axle, including I the combination of a spherically rounded outer bearing shell formed ,in sections, two of which areprovided with'pivot postsock i v etsy located'fout of registrywith the joint lilies of the sections, and an inner bearing shell, having spherically rounded outer bearing surfaces in bearing'contact with'the inner surface of the router shell and having pivot posts fitted to said sockets.

2. A driving vand steering axle, including a spherically rounded outer bearing shell.

erand lower connected-sections, eachprovi ved with integral tubular bearing sockets,

fclosed/ at their outer ends and adapted to receive a set of pivot posts, the'axes of which coincide with a vertical line drawn through the center of the shell,'the third section being connected to the other two in an annular ,zone exterior to that occupied by` the'bearin members, and the interior surfaces of sai three sections being continuous each with the 100 other in spherical curvature.

' 3.; A driving and steering axle, including the combination of `an axlemember provided with a spherically rounded bearing shell'at one end thereof Ahaving a set of integral vertically projecting pivot posts, and 4another member,.having a spheri'cally rounded bearing shell, provided with outwardly project'- ing tubular bearing sockets in which said4 pivot posts engage," said-bearingr shells havv1l..

ing mutual bearing contact with each otherv on allsides of thejpivot posts.-

4. A driving and steering axle, including l .i `the combination of an axle member provide with a spherically rounded .bearing shell at 11i one end thereof, having a set cf integral vertically projecting pivot posts, and another member, having a spherically rounded bearing'shell. provided with outwardly projecting' .tubular :bearing socketsl in which lsaid lpivot posts'engage', said bearing shells having mutual bearing contact with ea'ch` other on allsides of the pivot posts,-|.nd lsaid vouter shell being formed'in sections connected with each-'other along lines out of regis- 125 try with the sockets and pivot posts.'

'. 5. A driving and steering axle, mcludingl the combination of an axle member provided with al spherically rounded bearinfg shell at;

one end thereof, having a set o integral 130...

vertically projecting pivot posts, and an# and also having removable bushings embrac-y other member, having a spherically rounded ing the pivot posts. 10 bearing shell, provided with outwardly pro- In testimony whereof I ax my' signature jeetingtubular` bearing sockets in which said in the presence of two witnesses.

pivot posts engage', said bearing shells hav- OTTO ZACHOW.

ing mutual bearing Contact with each other Witnesses: on al1 sides of the pivot/posts, said tubular "VALBERG M. OLEN, sockets being provided with removable caps, O. L. OLEN. 

